Within applicant's knowledge the particular art to which the invention primarily pertains commercially originated essentially with machines and methods of the type disclosed in the patents to Clancy U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,099 and Weinberger U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,435. Each of these patents discloses machines for automatically packaging folded moist towelettes wherein the leading end of a web of absorbent towelette material is longitudinally folded, and then severed into towelette lengths which are transversly folded and thrust into envelopes automatically positioned in succession at a filling station. Clancy discloses imparting two transverse folds to the longitudinally folded towelette length prior to insertion into the envelope.
The present invention is directed mainly to methods and apparatus of the Clancy patent type, and particularly to the arrangements for handling the web and towelette and especially to methods and mechanism for dual transverse folding of the severed longitudinally folded towelette.
As evidenced by the later issued patents to Weinberger et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,200; Field U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,611 and Clancy U.S. Pat. No. 3,803,798 these machines have been sought to be continually improved. It will be noted that in dual transverse fold machines disclosed in these patents and at FIGS. 10-15 of Clancy U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,099 the longitudinally folded leading end of the towelette web is fed downwardly into the first fold station, thus requiring special guide arrangements above that station. In the invention as will appear the operations are performed with minimum movement of the web material, the longitudinally folded moving leading end of the web being directed upwardly immediately into the first transverse fold station, and the entire web handling arrangements are more compactly and accessibly arranged, which contributes to convenience in inspection of operation, cleaning and repairing, as will appear in the following specific disclosure of the preferred embodiment.